New attack on Karl Marx – grave in London ‘damaged beyond repair’ in hammer attack

A memorial to the Father of Communism – Karl Marx – in London has been attacked with a hammer and ‘will never be the same again’, a charity has said.

The marble plaque at Highgate cemetery which carries Marx’s name, along with his wife and grandson, had been chipped by a blunt instrument likely to have been a hammer.

The Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust, who run the cemetery in north London, said the monument was hit over in what looked like ‘a deliberate attack on the memory of Karl Marx himself’.

Ian Dungavell, the trust’s chief executive, said: “His name has been singled out, although the person wasn’t particularly coordinated.”

The ‘deliberate and sustained attack‘ on the Grade I-listed monument, which puts it on a par with the most important buildings in the country, was “very upsetting”, he said. “It will never be the same again, and will bear those battle scars for the future.”

The monument is owned by the Marx Grave Trust, which is represented by the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell, which will make any decisions about future repairs, Mr Dungavell said.

But he added that the monument’s Grade I-listing means ‘you don’t rush in to do these things quickly’.

‘We will be seeking specialist advice.’

A Met Police spokesman said: “Police were called to reports of criminal damage to a memorial in Highgate Cemetery, N6. No arrests have been made. Initial inquiries have been completed and at this stage the investigation has been closed. If any further information comes to light, this will be investigated accordingly.”